Lives on the Line: The Effects of 988 Funding on Crisis Lines and Suicide Prevention Öffentlichkeit

Abstract

This paper examines the effects of funding towards crisis lines on their access, performance, and effectiveness in reducing suicides. Using the variation in the funding of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, I create a quasi-experimental design employing a difference-in-differences empirical approach to study the causal effects of funding on call volume, answer rates, time to answer, and suicides. Using a novel dataset covering 50 states from July 2021 through December 2023, I find that passing funding increases call volume. In examining the effects of cumulative funding, I find that greater funding per capita increases call volume and reduces suicides. My findings highlight the importance of adequately funding crisis lines in order to increase their access and effectiveness.

Table of Contents

I Institutional Context 5

II Data 6

III Methods 9

IV Results 11

V Robustness Checks 19

VI Conclusion 22

VIIAppendix 27 

About this Honors Thesis

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School	Emory College
Department	Economics and Mathematics
Degree	B.A.
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Economics, General Health Sciences, Mental Health
Stichwort	988 Crisis Lines Mental Health Difference-in-differences Funding
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Krzysztof Karbownik, Emory University
Committee Members	Bree Ettinger, Emory University Elena Cholakova, Emory University

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